Slick, organised and delivering a powerful message; Elland Road was aghast and captivated from 3pm onwards. Yes, the new LED advertising hoardings left us spellbound for the first half an hour, while activities on the pitch failed to warm us.

Never did we expect to be charmed by virtual hybrid perimeter technology, but there we were reading a thousand different messages scrolling before our eyes, a welcome distraction to a turgid contest - and we sat entranced by the impressive mid-tier ribbon on the East Stand projecting hypnotizing 21st century innovation where once we looked at grass banks, peeling paintwork and the concrete aesthetics of Lowfields Road.

That Leeds navigated a 1-0 win against a decent-looking Norwich outfit with few of their own players firing on all cylinders, was the main thing to take from the performance. The midfield two of Ronaldo Vieira and Kalvin Phillips never got a grip of the sprightly Alex Prichard – one of the many diminutive midfield dynamos who frequent the Championship and always seem to run Leeds ragged – Samuel Saiz was largely frustrated for the afternoon and Kemar Roofe never got a sniff of the kind of goalmouth action he gorged on last weekend, save for a wayward second half strike over the bar when he had players either side in better positions.

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This was a game where Leeds toiled as a pack, where new characters added their names to the story, in Felix Wiedwald and Pawel Cibicki, and where, in truth, despite the complete absence of the kind of efficient and street smart passing that did for Queens Park Rangers seven days ago, Leeds rarely looked like giving up their hard-earned lead.

One of the criticisms aimed at Thomas Christiansen’s Leeds during the Autumn meltdown that saw seven league defeats in nine games, was the lack of know-how and backbone in his team. Heads dropped as soon as a goal was conceded, team shape and discipline went out of the window and the will to physically battle and earn a pathway back into a game was non-existent.

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Two of Leeds’ most public-facing characters were perhaps most visibly affected by that loss of form; Luke Ayling and Pontus Jansson. Effervescent, engaging and capable of raising a smile at even the darkest of moments, each had lost their vim and vigour, and each for the first time in a Leeds shirt.

But what Saturday’s narrow win over Norwich showed us is that sometimes a team needs its biggest characters to pull it around. While it is true that both Ayling and Jansson are capable of playing at a higher level, they each have traits that suit the Championship perfectly, and as much as anything else, the return of their strutting defiance and cocksure posture is a sign that this Leeds United are getting a grip of what is required.

You could arguably add Gaetano Berardi to that list too; a Championship-savvy defender who was so clearly struggling earlier in the season, but who has quietly improved in Leeds’ troublesome left back position.

Sure, Leeds’ passing was frequently wasteful, there is too often a lack of composure in applying the killer pass in the final third and while Saiz is a wonderful individual player, we have yet to work out a way to build a team around him and play to his strengths. But Saturday’s win, earned via a stooping 41st minute header from Jansson himself, showed us that the team shape is right, the mentality is right and the work ethic is right.

(Image: Leeds United)

I said it at the time; the Middlesbrough win almost a month ago was motivated as much by emotion as any cunning masterplan. But it set a standard that, save for a withering evening at Molineux, has been maintained ever since.

Despite a dearth of invention and artistry from both teams, this was a strangely absorbing game. Norwich were largely set up to fight for a point, but they tested Wiedwald who, arguably for the first time, responded with the kind of notable contributions a goalkeeper likes to be known for.

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Norwich also brushed the bar with a second half Pritchard effort, while Leeds themselves had struck the foot of the post via Phillips in the first half and should have wrapped the game up late in the second when Saiz was gifted a one-on-one but also struck the post, in a way his largely ineffective display suggested he might do.

Yet despite there being no sizeable chasm in quality between the teams, and even with such a slender 1-0 lead, the final six minutes of injury time saw few nails being bitten and the cheer at the final whistle contained an air of routine rather than relief.

Next Saturday sees Hull City visit Elland Road, and with Sheffield United taking on Aston Villa in a tea-time Kick-Off, a win for Leeds would see them leapfrog both teams into fifth place. A draw at Villa Park would see them stay there, while even a win for either would result in Leeds reaching the halfway point of the season in the top six.

As we know all-too-well, being in the top six at Christmas means very little when it comes to May. If you believe it does, you probably believe in Santa Claus too, but however brief a play-off status may be, it will at least be tangible evidence that this Leeds United have learned some harsh lessons, turned their season around and are beginning to show they have what it takes in this division.